It’s very concerning to see Jeremy Hill struggle to hold onto the ball and just lack any real giddy-up when he gets the ball. Making things worse, Giovani Bernard is looking really good. Hill was benched for Bernard in Week 2 after his second fumble. So far ProFootballFocus gives Bernard a 2.5 rating, while Hill is sporting a 0.7 rating.
Bernard has a 6.6 YPC to Hill’s 3.4 YPC. This won’t hold all year, but coaches can’t ignore it. As of now, Bengals offensive coordinator Hue Jackson said that Hill will be put back in, and that Sunday’s game is “over and done with”. Now I’m sure everyone is familiar with “coachspeak” and votes of confidence, but Hill definitely doesn’t have the same aura about him that he did at the beginning of the season. That being said, he’s still very talented and won’t disappear. A 50/50 split is the floor scenario here for Hill owners.
The worst part is now the really scary part of the schedule starts. The Bengals are about to start a stretch against the Ravens, Chiefs, Seahawks, and Bills--yikes. Hill has had fumble issues for most of his career, and his stock will plummet so long as he puts the ball on the ground and Bernard does his job. You’re absolutely not cutting him, but his value has taken a few gut punches going into Week 3 and beyond.